What I leave behind.

Please, let me be constructive, productive, positive. Allow me to work on something that will last long after I am gone, helping others in their daily lives somehow. A bridge, a railroad, a well, something that will have value to many, not just for me. Give me work that satisfies my craving for contributing to the whole, work that benefits a lot of people.

My greatest aspiration is that the world will somehow be a better place when I have gone, because of something that I have done. To know that I have made the lives of others easier, or better, or more fulfilling, that is the reward that I seek. A great deal of wealth was created during the last few decades, yet that wealth has evaporated like a summer rain. Let me create wealth that will endure, that is real and tangible.

There is more than enough work to be done making our country more efficient, more sustainable. Dealing with the changes that we face means finding new ways, new approaches. Permit me to have a say in those changes, to guide some of our effort. Then I will know that what I leave behind will be a part of me.